Emile Ratelband Left Thailand for Laos, Police Confirm

 

By Sidra Salman · October 25, 2026

For a week, the Emile Ratelband story has been framed as a man who vanished in Thailand. On Saturday, October 24, Thai immigration police gave that story a sharp correction: according to their records, Ratelband did not disappear in Thailand at all. He left the country months ago, crossing into Laos late in 2025, and has no recorded return since.

That single update does not solve the case. It does not say where Ratelband is now, and it does not explain why his family lost contact with him. But it moves the search, and it changes what the public should believe about the timeline. Here is what Thai police actually confirmed, what is still only claimed by others, and what to watch next.

What Thai police confirmed on October 24

Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimpadee, deputy commissioner and spokesman for Thailand's Immigration Bureau, announced the findings on Saturday after a nationwide check ordered by Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Nopasin Poolsawat. The check followed an appeal from Ratelband's family and relatives in Phuket, who offered a €2,500 reward for information leading to him.

According to the immigration records police cited:

Ratelband and Natalia da Silva entered Thailand together in December 2021, arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. They stayed legally on visas and registered accommodation in a province in the southern part of central Thailand.

Ratelband left Thailand for Laos late in 2025, crossing via a Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. The police statement does not name which bridge or give an exact date.

Natalia left Thailand on the same day, but by a different route: a flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport to an unspecified country in the Middle East.

Neither has any recorded return to Thailand since. Immigration records show no subsequent entry for either of them.

The bureau has now assigned its Investigation Division to gather further information that could help the family, and to keep the family informed. That matters, because it means the case is not closed in the eyes of Thai authorities even though the Thailand chapter of the timeline now looks settled.

The timeline, rebuilt

Put the police update together with what was already public, and the story reads very differently from a week ago:

December 2021: Ratelband and Natalia arrive in Thailand through Suvarnabhumi Airport and register accommodation in central Thailand.

Late 2025: Ratelband crosses into Laos via a Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge; Natalia flies from Bangkok to the Middle East on the same day.

October 17, 2026: Ratelband's children Minou and Emilio issue a public appeal, offering €2,500 for the "golden tip" that leads to their father, after about a year and nine months without contact.

October 19, 2026: Dutch Stars Daily reported that appeal, including the family's concern and the reward.

October 24, 2026: Thai immigration police announce the late-2025 departures, based on database checks.

The gap that jumps out is the time between late 2025 and October 2026. If Ratelband left Thailand late last year, then the family's loss of contact stretches back well before this month's headlines. The police update does not fill that gap. It only proves that Thailand is not where the trail ends.

Confirmed vs. claimed: keep them separate

This is where reporting on this story needs care, because three different kinds of information are now circulating and they are not equal.

Confirmed by Thai immigration records: the December 2021 arrival, the late-2025 departures, the separate routes taken by Ratelband and Natalia, and the absence of any recorded return. These points are consistent across the Bangkok Post, Khaosod English, The Nation, The Thaiger and Pattaya Mail, all reporting the same police announcement.

Claimed by his former lawyer: Carlo Liefting, who previously represented Ratelband, told Dutch outlet AD that he had spoken to Ratelband recently, that Ratelband is doing fine, and that he wants to be left alone. That is a second-hand claim from one source, not a police finding and not a statement from Ratelband himself. It has not been independently confirmed, and it sits in tension with a family that is still publicly searching.

Reported, but unverified: relatives who travelled to Thailand found a villa empty, and received unusual WhatsApp messages claiming Ratelband was ill and asking for money. The Thai Examiner reports that his children question whether their father wrote those messages. No authority has confirmed who sent them.

One more detail deserves a flag. Most Thai outlets, including Khaosod English and The Thaiger, give Ratelband's age as 77. The Bangkok Post and The Nation give it as 70. Until an official record settles it, treat the age as approximate rather than certain.

Why the Laos detail matters

A border crossing is not a small footnote. It tells investigators, journalists and the family where to look next, and it rules out one of the darker early fears: that something happened to Ratelband inside Thailand and went unrecorded. Thai police have now said, in effect, that their systems show an orderly, documented departure.

It also reframes the family's appeal. Minou and Emilio are not asking Thai police to find someone lost in Thailand. They are asking the public for any lead on where their father went after Laos, and what happened to contact between then and now. The €2,500 reward still stands, and the Immigration Bureau's investigation unit is still gathering information for the family.

There is a second unanswered question that Thai coverage has raised but not resolved. The Thai Examiner reports that Ratelband's two youngest children, aged six and four, also have no confirmed location. The police announcement itself does not confirm anything about the children, so that point should be read as a reported concern, not as an official finding. It is the part of this story that most needs careful, verified follow-up, and it is the reason speculation should be avoided.

What happens next

Three things are worth watching. First, whether Thai immigration's Investigation Division releases anything further, such as which Friendship Bridge was used or any onward information from Laos. Second, whether any Dutch authority or media outlet confirms direct contact with Ratelband, which would settle the lawyer's claim one way or the other. Third, whether the family updates its appeal in light of the police findings, for example by directing tips toward Laos rather than Thailand.

Until one of those happens, the honest summary is this: Ratelband left Thailand for Laos late in 2025, his companion flew to the Middle East the same day, neither has a recorded return, and his current whereabouts remain unknown. Everything beyond that is claim, not confirmation, and this story will be updated when confirmation arrives.

For the background to this update, read our earlier report on the family's appeal and the €2,500 reward. More recent Dutch stars news includes the Netherlands' reported Eurovision 2027 shortlist and Frans Duijts' heart attack and six weeks of rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Emile Ratelband disappear in Thailand?
According to Thai immigration police, no. Their records show he left Thailand for Laos late in 2025 via a Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, and he has no recorded return. The family's concern is about loss of contact since then, not a disappearance inside Thailand.

Where is Emile Ratelband now?
Unknown. Thai police confirmed his departure from Thailand, but they have not confirmed his current location. His former lawyer claims to have spoken to him recently and says he wants privacy, but that claim is unconfirmed.

Who is Natalia da Silva?
She is described by Thai police as Ratelband's close friend and travelling companion. She entered Thailand with him in December 2021 and left on the same day in late 2025, flying from Bangkok to an unspecified Middle East country. Her current whereabouts are also unconfirmed.

Is the family's €2,500 reward still open?
As far as public reporting shows, yes. The reward was offered by Ratelband's children for the tip that leads to their father, and Thai immigration's investigation unit is still gathering information to help the family. No update has withdrawn it.

About the Author

Sidra Salman is the founder of Dutch Stars Daily, where she writes practical, research-backed guides on Dutch celebrity news. Every guide is tested and written in plain English for a US audience.